The great Kazakh scientist-educator, historian, ethnographer Shokan Ualikhanov was born

Shokan (real name is Mukhammedhanafia)
Chingizuly Ualikhanov (he was born in November, 1835 in Kusmuryn fortification
of the present Kostanay region, dead in April, 1865 near Altynemel settlement
of the present Almaty region) is the great Kazakh scientist-educator, orientalist,
historian, ethnographer, geographer, folklorist, educator, democrat. He
graduated from Omsk Military school (1853), listened to the lectures on
historical and philological faculty of the University of Saint-Petersburg
(1861-1862).

Abylai is his direct ancestor. Abylai’s
eldest son, Uali (1741-1821) is Shokan’s grandfather. When Uali died, and his
main heir, the eldest son Gubaidulla (Abaydilda), was exiled to Siberia , the
worries about the Khan's family, Khanate and power were passed into the hands
of the younger wife of Uali Khan - Aiganym. Children of Uali and his senior
wife did not want to accept his father's policy of dependence on Russia, but
Aiganym and her children remained loyal to Russia. Alexander I gave a special
attention to this wife of Uali Khan, ordering to build a luxurious mansion for
her in the steppe. “Shokan Ualikhanov was born in this house” – as P.P.
Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy wrote. Shokan spent his childhood first in Kusmurun (when
his father was a senior Sultan), then in Kokshetau, on their ancestral homeland
- in Syrymbet.

In childhood
Shokan was interested in historical poems, tales, legends, stories, listened them
attentively. Already in the period of Kusmurun he wrote the poem "Kozy Korpesh
– Bayan Sulu". In Syrymbet he painted picture for the plots of legends and
tales. All that meant that the spiritual development of clever, capable child
began to form early.

Shokan Ualikhanov began his studies at
Kusmurun in Kazakh school, where he studied Arabic. By tradition, according to
which the son of Khan should know 7 languages, Shokan studied Arabic, Shagatay
languages ​​from the childhood, and later learned the Turkic languages ​​of
Central Asia.

In 1847 father placed 12-years-old
Shokan in Military school with the help of his Russian friends. This
educational institution, which considered as the best one in Siberia, was,
according to the Decembrist A. Zavalishin, “the place where education and
patriotism were flourishing”.

“Knowledge and mental outlook of Shokan
rapidly improved in the school, he even became to get ahead of his Russian
friends in development. And in 2 years he got ahead of not only classmates, but
also those who were 2-3 years elder”, - his friend G.N. Potanin recollects.

The teacher of Russian literature,
orientalist N.F. Kostyletskiy, exiled scientist Gonsevskiy, who was teaching
history, literary man Lobodovskiy (a friend of childhood and the comrade of
N.G. Chernyshevskiy) mainly, influenced spiritual growth of Shokan. Due to
Kostyletskiy, Shokan started to be friends with I.N. Berezin in 1852. On behalf
of Berezin Shokan wrote review for the book of Toktamys “Khan zharlagyna” (To
Khan’s orders). This is his first scientific work.

Thereafter, the teachers of the Military
school and progressive intellectuals of Omsk noticed Shokan. The teachers began
to consider 14-15 years old Shokan as a future scientist and researcher. Shokan
was unceasingly reading books on the history and geography. School
administration gave a special permission to Shokan for acquaintance with rare
specimens of ancient books in fundamental library, inaccessible to other
students. He read with a great interest the "Travels" of P.S. Pallas
(1741-1811), who studied Ural, Volga, the Caspian Sea coast, southern Siberia,
Lake Baikal, Altai, diaries of P.I. Rychkov, in which he described the history
and ethnography of the peoples inhabiting Volga, the Caspian Sea coast, Ural.
Erudition of young Shokan, good knowledge of the oriental literature were high
praised by S.F. Durov, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy, G.N. Potanin, N.M.
Yadrintsev.

In 1853 Shokan graduated from the
Military school, he was promoted to cornet rank of mounted troops. He was
appointed to serve as an officer of the regiment in the Siberian Cossacks army.
Along the way, he was left in the office of Governor-General of Western
Siberia. A year later he was appointed to serve as an adjutant of General G.H.
Gasfort (1790-1874), who ruled the Western Siberia and north-western districts
of Kazakhstan; at the same time he was an officer of the special assignments of
the Main administration of the West Siberian region.

In 1856 Shokan joined the military and
scientific expedition, led by M.M. Khomentovsky. Expedition was instructed to
investigate thoroughly the Kyrgyz land, to make a map of Issyk Kul
surroundings. This gave Shokan the opportunity to be engaged in scientific
work. Drawing attention to the ancient epos of the Kyrgyz people
"Manas", he visited the town in the upper reaches of Ili, where Manas
had fought. Having reached Issyk Kul in mid-June, they made a map of its east
and north-east coast. On several routes he was with Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy, with
whom he got acquainted in the spring of 1856 in Omsk at the house of
Gutkovskiy, since they were friends. In 1856-1857 years, having met in Zhetysu,
they worked together on scientific work. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskiy wrote that
during the discussion of issues related to Central Asia, Shokan’s opinion was a
decisive.

Being in the expedition, Shokan gathered
orientological, entomological collections and made herbarium, studied the fauna
and flora of Zhetysu and the surrounding area of Issyk Kul, participated in
drawing up the map of Issyk Kul. He closely studied the culture of the ancient
ruined cities of those places, ancient irrigation system, and the remnants of
architectural heritage, ethnography and stone sculptures. He found that there
was a sedentary way of life in Dzungaria, which also had been subordinate to
Russia, and especially on the banks of the Ili River. Visiting the area from
Alakol to the Tien Shan, he fixed genealogies of Kyrgyz people, their songs,
stories, legends, epos "Manas" in the Kyrgyz clans called Bugy,
Sarybagysh, Soltu.

Achievements of Shokan Ualikhanov in the
sphere of history, geography became known to scientists in St. Petersburg and
Shokan, who was barely 20 years old, was elected a member of the Russian
Geographical Society on February, 27 1857. This is an evidence of recognition of
the merits of Shokan Ualikhanov before Russian science.

Shokan’s journey to Kashgar in 1858-1859
years contributed to the fact that his creation in the field of scientific
education raised another step. In St. Petersburg, Shokan established scientific
links with Russian scientists, researchers of the East, especially with the
editor of register of "Russian Geographical Society" Professor A.N.
Beketov, with E.P. Kovalevsky and F.S. Osten-Saken from the Asian Department,
Professor of St. Petersburg University I.I. Zakharov, who was a consul in
Kuldja. Together with I.I. Zakharov he taught Turkic languages ​​in higher
school of the Asian Department. V.B. Grigoriev, V.P. Vasiliev, V.V.
Velyaminov-Zernovand many others often were guests in the apartment of Shokan
Ualikhanov. In St. Petersburg Shokan wrote articles in scientific, artistic
magazines, in the encyclopedia. Materials of Shokan were used by A.F. Golubev,
D.I. Romanovskiy, who studied Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Issyk Kul. The officers
of the General Staff also used the information of Shokan.

Disease (tuberculosis) began to progress
and on the advice of doctors he returned to his native land in spring 1861.
Living among the people and recognizing that the people subjected to the double
oppression, he agreed to become a senior Sultan in Atbasar District in 1862.
"I agreed to become a senior sultan with the aim to assist my compatriots
in protecting them from arbitrariness of officials and Kazakh bais. The first
thing that I pursue - to show my countrymen by my own example that an educated
senior sultan may benefit more," - he writes in a letter to F. Dostoevsky.

In his short life Shokan Ualikhanov left
many valuable works dedicated to social and political structure, history,
geography, ethnography and folklore of the peoples of Kazakhstan and Central
Asia. He was the first who provided the information that Balkhash and Alakol
once represented a single water surface, and on the special flow of wind from
Dzungaria gate. After a review of the work "Khan zharlygyna" Shokan
researched the work of K. Zhalairi "Jami-al-tavarikh" translated the
main sections from this document to the Russian language, and compiled a
dictionary of oriental terms, based on them.

He wrote a work
entitled "Genealogy of the Kazakhs", based on the works of Abulgazy
"Shaibani-name", "Shezhre-and -turk", the theoretical value
of which is high. Shokan considered the work "Jami-at-tavarikh" as an
unique historical work, a collection of historical legends of Kazakhs in
XV-XVI-XVII centuries. Later studying the books "Babur-name",
"Tarikh-i-Rashidi" he appropriately used the information obtained
therefrom, in his writings. Until the end of his life he was considered as an
employee of the General Staff and the Asian Department. Disease progressed and
Shokan Ualikhanov died in the village Koshentogan, Tezek settlement, at the foot
of the Altynemel ridge.

The works of Shokan Ualikhanov,
which have made a significant contribution to the various branches of science
of its time, are highly appreciated at all times.